Virginia Rallies, Holds Off Notre Dame For 62-56 Win

No. 3 Virginia used stout defense down the stretch to hold off No. 13 Notre Dame, showing why they’re one of only three undefeated teams left in the country. The game was touted for Notre Dame’s high-octane offense against Virginia’s pressure defense. In the end the Cavaliers had the final word, holding off the Irish down the stretch in a 62-56 win.

The Irish (15-2, 3-1 ACC) were held to a season low shooting 34 percent, but still very much had a chance to beat another Top 10 team at Purcell. Notre Dame missed several putbacks on the offensive glass, which negated their advantage on the boards – 35-34 – and 16-8 on the offensive glass. Coach Mike Brey saw them miss too many of them.

"”We had the ball around the bucket for some layups and we didn’t convert them,” Brey said."

With solid pressure all over the court, especially on Jerian Grant and quick double teams in the post, the Irish couldn’t find their rhythm on offense. While Grant struggled to find shots, he did his best to offset it by finding his teammates. Pat Connaughton had 21, and V.J. Beachem has another solid game off the bench scoring 12, including some big three’s in the first half.

After looking lost on offense early on, Virginia (15-0, 4-0) found their way in the second half, shooting 57.7 percent from the field. That combined with the suffocating defense that held the Irish scoreless for the last four minutes until Demetrius Jackson hit a three-pointer with two-seconds left, when the game was already in hand.

While the loss is a tough one to swallow, the Irish have proven to be an upper echelon team in the ACC. The Cavaliers have now held 39 straight teams under 50 percent shooting, and are just more experienced in clutch situations. Even with that, victory was in reach till the last run by the Cavs. After being basted twice last year by Virginia, this game shows that Notre Dame closed the gap, and quickly.

The good thing about league play is there is always another “big” game on the horizon in the ACC. So the Irish need to simply learn from this game and move forward. with Georgia Tech next up on the schedule, it’s time to get back to work. Notre Dame will travel to play the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday.